


Paperwork and Fire

by gemitah



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Foreshadowing, I'm Bad At Tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:36:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemitah/pseuds/gemitah
Summary: Inquisitor Adanna Lavellan is getting tired of reading reports, and to make things worse, not even the fireplace seems capable of heating the room. Thankfully, a hesitating Solas might be the solution to that problem.Sort of.
Relationships: Dalish (Dragon Age: Inquisition)/Solas, Female Inquisitor/Solas (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Paperwork and Fire

The pile of files over Lavellan's desk didn’t seem to have an end. It almost felt as if by the time she finished reading or completing one of them, another pair magically appeared over the table—or not so magically, for every morning an Inquisition scout knocked on her door and brought her a new batch of them.

Josephine had perfectly collected tons of paperwork during the Inquisitor’s absence closing rifts at the Hissing Wastes. The mission had been expected to be brief, but in the end the group had been unable to return to Skyhold in almost two months—time enough for the Commander, the Spy Master and the Diplomatic to gather _thousands_ of reports from their teamworks that eventually needed Lavellan’s supervision. 

It was probably one of the most annoying tasks that her responsibility involved, even more than having Theda's protection over her shoulders—to her, perhaps _even_ _more_ tiresome than politics. Because at least politics always seemed to involve betrayals, battles, and likely a murder or two. Maybe a bunch of them, if it involved orlesians.

But with paperwork? There was nothing to do aside from staying at the room for what seemed an endless amount of time. 

Lavellan had even spent days without stepping outside, not for a single moment, reading paper after paper until late hours at dawn. When those handwritings blurred in front of her eyes, then she knew it was time to stop and go to sleep to get some rest. There were times when her friends showed up at her door to make sure their Inquisitor was still alive—per usual, Dorian usually brought some teacups with him, Sera baked her special cookies, and Cassandra read her _Sword & Shields _ copy next to her on the couch.

But there was someone who Lavellan always looked forward to appearing by her door; someone who, despite the silent company, managed to ease her despair while doing work; someone who made her heart pound with just one single glance; someone with whom she had never expected to feel so comfortable by his side.

 _Solas_.

After countless—and deliberated—complaints of Adanna about how much she hated that confinement, the elf finally gave in and suggested accompanying her during the task sometimes while studying his own books about magic, the Fade and other knowledges that she didn't know about. After all, he explained most of them to her without having to ask first. It wasn't the kind of activity that she preferred to do while staying by his side, but still, having him there felt like a victory to her. Because truth be told, she loved to lift her gaze from those papers with strategies, numbers of injured soldiers and established outpost sites to contemplate Solas' calmed face and ease her struggles for a second.

Most of the time she even had to force herself to return her attention back to the reports, otherwise she could spend hours just staring at every inch and gesture of the man she had started to adore in so many ways.

Of all the things Adanna could have expected to discover after taking part in the Inquisition’s early forces back at Haven, what Solas had become to her was definitely not a possibility, not even for a brief second, but she was absolutely thankful that whoever tangled the threads of their fates together had decided to do so.

Solas was different from any other man that she had met before. They could talk for hours without running out of conversation topics, and he could teach her more sides of the history of her ancestors or other places... He always knew what to say and how to say it, under any circumstance, were it discussing different political points of views or even when she attempted at flirting—what was better, his comebacks made her eager to tease him some more. It was probably the first thing that caught her attention back in Haven.

But not only that, for he also knew how to make her feel reassured with the sound of his voice, or desired with a single gaze from across the room that only both of them understood. And at the same time, one harsh tone or word coming out of his mouth, or a frown out of the blue, or even a silence that could last too long, could be enough to break her confidence, start to worry and wonder if there was something going on with his own issues or perhaps with his feelings towards her.

Over the past few months, Solas had become her weakness, but her biggest strength as well—that much she had realized.

Suddenly, amid the many thoughts and memories that had appeared while getting her gaze lost on Solas once more, Adanna felt a cold breeze slipping through the large windows, causing her to shudder for a second. It also snapped her back to reality; her eyes returning to the report of Leliana’s spies that she was holding in her left hand and had stopped reading a while ago.

She dropped the file in the desk in front of her, and decided to curl up under the fur that she had been using to protect her petite body from the outside freeze which somehow managed to pierce through the room—even though the fireplace was always on, she never seemed to get used to Skyhold’s cold temperatures. The snowy landscape was indeed astonishing, but also terribly tough to endure compared to where she used to live with her clan before. Haven had been already a challenge, but Skyhold was becoming even worse.

After all, Adanna had familiarized with dwelling in warm forests, and the only freeze that she had come to know was due to the Inquisition travels. She would never forget when they stepped on Emprise Du Lion for the first time ever; actually, neither Dorian nor she would, since the others enjoyed remembering it as a joke to tease them. It became the first time that she preferred to sleep at the tent with her best friend rather than her vhenan, and they both spent too much of their savings gathering tons of fur from a local merchant. The rest of the Inquisition seemed to endure the cold without as many difficulties as them, who spent most of the mission looking for fireplaces anywhere they went in order to survive the trip. Red templars were perfectly fine to deal with, but some snowy days? Not so much.

After recalling those moments with a smile crossing her lips, she once more drove her gaze over Solas without even realizing. He was still immersed in his reading, as if there was no other world beyond those papers, and she felt a spark of jealousy—if she could gather such concentration, probably all the reports could be already finished. However, she could even get distracted with a single button of her grey pajamas, and they were quite a bunch.

Almost exhausted from staying endless days locked in that room, Adanna’s mind came up with something, and with it a mischievous smirk curved her lips.

She stood up from the armchair, while still trying to cover herself with the fur of a bear victim of Cassandra's wrath, and approached Solas, who was sitting at the other side of the desk. Out of curiosity, she peeked over his shoulder to check what the book was talking about and had her vhenan so focused on it. Of course, they were issues related to spirits of the Fade, and as soon as she placed her eyes over those pages, she looked away with a raised brow. No, she wasn’t in the mood for talking about spirits at the moment—she wasn't in the mood for talking _at all_. 

Still with that cunning smirk of her lips, she decided to start teasing Solas; first, by traveling along his shoulders and chest with her icy fingers, but there was no reaction coming from him. She expected maybe a reply, or a confused hum, or even an annoyed sigh—but instead, there was nothing. From the lack of a response, frustration began to rise inside her, the slight frown on her face making it obvious even if he wasn’t seeing it.

That being the case, she decided to take one step forward and wrapped both arms around him, bringing them both so close to each other, it was almost impossible to remain calmed—at least, to her. 

But of course, Solas was playing hard to get; he didn't seem to be bothered by her gestures, not even to take a look away from the pages for a single second, let alone to return her teasing. Deeply absorbed in his task, as he always was whenever he found himself buried in any of his studies, and by the Dread Wolf, if it didn't irritate her sometimes...

_Just how interesting is that damned book?_

Adanna was starting to get slightly bothered by the situation, and decided to take yet _another_ step forward—at this rate, she considered having to take major action and rip the book off his hands to place herself there instead, but she decided to give him another pacifist chance, even if it was the last one.

She started by leaving soft kisses along his jaw to distract him, while her hands traveled all the way to the hem of his shirt so slowly lift it up. This time, though, his muscles tensed at her touch, and she earned a weak growl from his throat.

“Adanna...” Solas finally spoke, though with eyes still focused on the reading. His voice didn't sound harsh, so she assumed the intentions didn’t bother him that much; but neither as excited to go along with her as she had expected.

“Mmm?” Adanna mumbled, still toying with her fingers over his bare torso under the shirt, trying to ignore his lack of enthusiasm.

" _Adanna_."

She knew that was a warning to stop before reaching the point of no return, but she would be making a fool of herself if she stepped back. No, she wasn't going to let him win.

When Solas noticed his vhenan ignored the warning and instead kept trying to mess up with him, he closed the book and tossed it aside. The subtle, almost drowned giggle he earned from Adanna made him sigh in defeat. She surely was determined enough to put their paperwork session on hold, and there was little else for him to do then give up and surrender to her—but he wasn't going to make her victory look _that_ obvious.

The moment he attempted at standing up, Adanna retrieved her hands from under the shirt, taking a few steps back. Being able to face her, Solas crossed his arms while leaning against the edge of the desktop. When he saw her faking an innocent pout—almost ruined by the smirk fighting its way on her lips—he rose an inquiring brow at her.

“So...?” he questioned, trying to sound slightly annoyed, but caring enough to not ruin the mood.

“So…" she mumbled, her pout fading away after losing the battle against the smirk.

"What was that about, Adanna?" He continued, still trying his best to remain serious.

"Well, you know... It's cold today, isn't it?” She shrugged, holding tighter the fur that rested over her shoulders, and again pouted in the most adorable way—to Solas' eyes.

It was mesmerizing to stare at her; he was aware of that. The pureness of her gestures, the perfect shape of her eyes, the invitation captured in her lips, all of herself sometimes even managed to overshadow the vallaslin—which reminded him of things he didn’t like to think about when he looked at her. Even so, Adanna's beauty was enough to make every second gazing at her worth the struggle.

"Is it, though?" He took one step forward, making its way to her. "And what did you have in mind to heat the room, actually?" One step after another, like a hunter lurking for its prey; Solas had decided to finish what Lavellan started. "Perhaps you were decided to take advantage of me for such end?"

He savored each and every one of the words that left his mouth, and she knew what that attitude would lead them to; her eyes shone bright, the flames at the fireplace of the room not even able to compare to its brightness.

"It would _never_ occur to me, Solas." She bit her lip, trying to tempt him even more, and also absolutely amused by the turn of events.

"Are you sure of that, Adanna?" He had finally reached Lavellan and was standing right in front of her, so close that her breathing was starting to get agitated. Solas closed the distance to her ear, and whispered, "Or are you lying to me, _ma vhenan_?"

"I would never," Lavellan fumbled, holding back each and one of her muscles to not jump at him and shove him to the bed. The more she inhaled his scent, the more she felt his warm body so close to her, the more she also felt the strength of her legs fading away. 

Solas noticed how Adanna had let go of her playful attitude and was instead taken aback, though not in a way that displeased him. He knew her well enough to assume it could be a matter of time to reach her breaking point, and so he started trailing the way of her jaw with the soft touch of her lips, mumbling the same question all over again, "Are you lying to me, vhenan?"

The way his lips felt against her skin and how his breathing collided at her skin didn’t take long to whip a spark of electricity that shook her bones to the core. She felt the urge to grip at his arms for support, showing him how desperate she was already—unable to hold back any longer.

“ _Yes_ ," she weakly moaned; and with that, Solas decided the conversation was over at last.

He held her so tightly against him that he lifted her from the floor, and the fur fell from her shoulders—she would certainly not need it anymore, at least for a while. Her legs were curled up around him, which with her arms wrapping around his neck created the perfect support for her. They had both melted on such passionate kisses, that neither of them could think clearly in that moment.

After all, both had been kept inside that place for almost a week, staring at papers all day long without getting far from quick glimpses at each other. They both were aware that this could eventually happen, it was just a matter of time.

Such was the situation that Adanna didn't care anymore about the cold on her hands, or her nose, or her pointy ears, because what mattered the most was what Solas was causing inside or her, and that was hardly labeled as cold. 

After a few steps, Solas noticed the edge of the bed against his legs, and Adanna's back didn't take longer to hit the mattress, followed by him as well. There they stayed, still without parting their lips away, until she felt the warmth between her legs starting to pump. She took his cotton shirt off, throwing it aside in a moment that he also started to undo the many buttons of her pajamas. He hated that outfit.

Adanna hurried to help with the task, frustration making her clumsy, and Solas chuckled. Giving her a reassuring kiss which felt softer than before, she managed to continue and finally tossed the shirt away, too. When his hands travelled all the way from her neck to her almost bare torso, Lavellan's breathing became frenetic, and Solas wondered if maybe his hands could be too cold for her—he was well aware of how sensitive Adanna was to that. He extended one hand towards the fireplace and with a snap, the fire got more intense thanks to his magic—he also knew that she enjoyed that. 

But little did he know that she was already starting to hold back the rocking of her hips against him. The way she aggressively kissed his mouth, and his jaw, and even his neck could become a clear sign of her eagerness, but his mind was more focused on taking its sweet time to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

Adanna had always been determined and passionate to get what she desired from him in moments such that, but Solas had a different way of seeing things—he preferred to savour every second, to slow down things and make the moment last forever, even if he was well aware that it couldn't be possible.

It didn't mean that he couldn't feel the same way towards her, though—he did, in fact, and if not as much, perhaps even more ardently than her. But there was a part of him, which always remained hidden to the Inquisitor, that longed to enjoy those moments as if they were the last ones. There was nothing he wished more than to keep in mind every second spent beside Lavellan, and he wanted to save every memory of her in case the uthenera eventually called for him once more. 

That also hidden part of him worried that when time came—if it did, for so he sometimes doubted—those memories of her would become his most precious treasure. Maybe even more than those of his young days.

And sometimes he found himself doubting about the outcome because of her, of what Lavellan had managed to awake inside of him. He even wondered if she was aware of that; if Adanna knew how much power she had over him, of how he felt whenever he was just standing beside her. He had tried to act though many times, to not get involved with her in a way that could harm her in the end… or both of them. But he had ended up surrendering to her, and that hidden part of him knew it could end in a disaster.

“Solas," Lavellan whispered, suddenly staring at him with worry all over her face. "Is everything alright?"

He had been so absorbed in his inner fears, wonders and thoughts that he didn't realize of what Adanna felt as lack of enthusiasm—and despite how much she wanted him, whenever she noticed those flashes of gloom over him, she couldn't help but get anxious.

Solas didn't feel like thinking about all of that anymore, and instead, decided to do what his heart told him to—enjoy the moment with her and let themselves go. 

Even though he didn't give her any answer, he smiled tenderly to comfort her, a sign to which she reacted by cupping his face with both hands, bringing him close to melt their lips together once more.

And for a while, he seemed to forget about all his concerns, and above all, about the future that could await them.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this oneshot years ago, but I decided to delete it and rewrite the whole thing because I wasn't happy with the earlier version. I hope that you enjoyed this one better.


End file.
